Film storage device

ABSTRACT

A film storage device for storing films fed by a feed system in a magazine includes a pressing mechanism, angularly displaced with respect to a direction in which a film is fed, for pressing the film into the magazine, a film feeder coupled to the pressing mechanism and angularly movable for forcibly delivering the film into the magazine along the direction, and a drive mechanism for moving the pressing means into the magazine. The film storage device also has a system for storing and displaying the number of films stored in the magazine, and also for detecting a mismatch between the types of the cassette and the magazine.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a film storage device for placing anumber of films taken out of a cassette as stacked films in a magazine.

Heretofore, a film which has been exposed to an X-ray image and whichhas not yet been developed is placed in a cassette in a light-shieldingcondition, and the cassette is accommodated into a given device. Afterthe film is taken out of the cassette and placed in a magazine, theempty cassette is removed from the above device. Such a device is widelyemployed in mammographic imaging systems.

The relationship between the device and a mammographic imaging systemwill be described below with reference to FIG. 1 of the accompanyingdrawings.

Films a which are stacked in an envelope are placed in a magazine b in abright room, and the magazine b is then accommodated in a loading devicec. An empty flat cassette d is also accommodated in the loading devicec. If films a' of a different size are also involved, the films a' areplaced in a magazine b' in a bright room, and the magazine b' and anempty cassette d' are accommodated in another loading device c'. In theloading device c, an unexposed film a is transferred from the magazine binto the cassette d by a feed mechanism (not shown). Then, the cassetted which loads the film a in a light-shielding condition is taken out ofthe loading device c. Likewise, an exposed film a' is transferred fromthe magazine b' into the cassette d' which is taken out of the loadingdevice c'. The films a, a' in the fat cassettes d, d' are used tophotograph an object such as a woman's chest to check for a breastcancer, for example.

The cassettes d,d' (referred to as "cassettes f, f'), which place theexposed films a, a' therein, are then accommodated in a film removaldevice g associated with an automatic photographic processor. In thefilm removal device g, the films a, a' are taken out of the cassettes f,f'. The films a, a' are thereafter sent to the automatic photographicprocessor and developed into X-ray photographs. Alternately, thecassettes f, f' are placed in a film storage device h which is notassociated with an automatic photographic processor. In the film storagedevice h, the films a, a' are stacked in magazines i, i' by filmdelivery mechanisms. Then, the magazines i, i' are accommodated in afilm feed device j associated with an automatic photographic processor,and the films a, a' are taken out of the magazines i, i' and sent to theautomatic photographic processor. The films a, a' are thereafterdeveloped into X-ray photographs by the automatic photograpic processor.

When films are successively placed as stacked films into a magazine, themagazine is generally held horizontally. Therefore, a film deliverymechanism combined with the magazine is also required to deliver thefilms horizontally into the horizontal magazine. As a result, the filmdelivery mechanism has a large horizontal extent.

Attempts have been made to hold a magazine vertically and place filmsinto the vertical magazine from an opening defined in an upper side ofthe magazine. Films which are to be placed in a magazine are of varioussizes. When such a magazine is accommodated in an automatic photographicprocessor, it is extremely difficult to take films of smaller sizes outof the magazine from the upper opening thereof. In view of thedifficulty of taking out smaller films, the magazine has a large filmremoval opening defined below the upper opening, and the film removalopening is usually closed by a shutter on the magazine. Consequently,the magazine itself is expensive, cannot easily handled as it is heavy,and is complex in structure.

In the film storage device h, it is necessary to transfer the films a,a' of different sizes from the cassettes f, f' to the magazines i, i' ofcorresponding sizes.

It has been customary to manually check the number of films stored inthe magazines i, i' and also to manually match the types of themagazines i, i' in the film storage device h to the types of thecassettes f, f'.

The manual processes of checking the number of films and matching thecassette and magazine types are however quite tedious and laborious, andhence highly costly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is a main object of the present invention to provide a film storagedevice which is of a simple construction, can reliably feed films from acassette into a magazine, and is small in size.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a film storagedevice which can automatically match cassette and magazine types andautomatically check the number of films stored in a magazine.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a filmstorage device for storing films fed by a feed system in a magazine,comprising pressing means, angularly displaced with respect to adirection in which a film is fed, for pressing the film into themagazine, feeding means coupled to the pressing means and angularlymovable for forcibly delivering the film into the magazine along thedirection, and drive means for moving the pressing means into themagazine.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide the filmstorage device wherein the feeding means has a curved surface pivotallysupported on the pressing means and angularly movable with respect tothe direction, the curved surface being normally directed with respectto the pressing means to project toward the magazine, and beingangularly movable along the direction to deliver the film into themagazine after having engaged the film.

Yet still another object of the present invention is to provide the filmstorage device wherein the feeding means comprises a semicircular memberpivotally supported at an eccentric position thereof on the pressingmeans.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a film storagedevice comprising a magazine for storing a plurality of films, andaccommodating means for accommodating the magazine therein, the magazinehaving an identification indicia for identifying the type of themagazine, the accommodating means comprising first detecting means fordetecting the identification indicia on the magazine, second detectingmeans for detecting whether a film is stored in the magazine or not,third detecting means for detecting a film when the film is placed inthe magazine, memory means for storing the number of films stored in themagazine, and control means, electrically connected to the first,second, and third detecting means and responsive to output signals fromthe first, second, and third detecting means, for storing the number offilms in the magazine in the memory means.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a filmstorage device comprising a cassette for storing a single film, amagazine for storing a plurality of films, the magazine corresponding intype to the cassette, and accommodating means for accommodating thecassette and the magazine therein, the cassette having an identificationindicia A for identifying the type of the cassette, the magazine havingan identification indicia B for identifying the type of the magazine,the accommodating means comprising detecting means A for detecting theidentification indicia A on the cassette, detecting means B fordetecting the identification indicia B on the magazine, detecting meansC for detecting whether a film is stored in the magazine or not,detecting means D for detecting a film when the film is transferred fromthe cassette to the magazine, memory means for storing the number offilms stored in the magazine, and control means, electrically connectedto the detecting means A, B, C, D and responsive to output signals fromthe detecting means A, B, C, D, for detecting a mismatch between thetypes of the cassette and the magazine and for storing the number offilms in the magazine in the memory means.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the presentinvention will become more apparent from the following description whentaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which a preferredembodiment of the present invention is shown by way of illustrativeexample.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram of a mammographic imaging system as a background ofthe present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of a film storagedevice according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of a cassette holder in thefilm storage device;

FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the cassette holder;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an unlocking mechanism in the filmstorage device;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a film guide plate in the film storagedevice;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a magazine accommodating means in thefilm storage device;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a cassette;

FIG. 9 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the film storage device,which incorporates a film storage checking mechanism;

FIGS. 10a through 10d are display tables, the display tables beingstored in a RAM in the device show. in FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a table of data for determining whether there is a film ornot, the table being stored in the RAM in the device shown in FIG. 9;and

FIGS. 12a, 12b are flowcharts of a program stored in a ROM in the deviceshown in FIG. 9.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIG. 2 shows a film storage device 2 according to the present invention.The film storage device 2 generally comprises a film cassetteaccommodating and unloading mechanism 4, a feed system 6 for feeding anexposed film from the film cassette accommodating and unloadingmechanism 4, and a magazine accommodating mechanism 8 for inserting amagazine which stores stacked films fed one by one by the feed system 6,the magazine accommodating mechanism 8 being coupled to a film feedingand storing mechanism.

First, the film cassette accommodating and unloading mechanism 4 will bedescribed below. The film cassette accommodating and unloading mechanism4 includes a vertically long housing 10 which has an opening 12 definedin an upper side wall thereof for inserting a cassette CS therethroughand a narrower opening 16 defined in the upper side wall immediatelyabove the opening 12, the opening 16 receiving a displaceable lever 14extending therethrough which lever 14 can be manipulated from outside ofthe housing 10. The lever 14 has an inner distal end to which there isconnected a channel-shaped displaceable member 17 which is opendownwardly. A vertical plate 18 extends downwardly from the upper sidewall of the housing 10 closely to the opening 12. The plate 18 definesan opening 20 that can be opened and closed by a shutter 22 which isjoined to a bracket 24 having a projecting pin 26. The pin 26 isdisposed in a hole 27a defined in one end of a shutter opening arm 27 ofa bent configuration which is angularly movably supported on a sideplate 28b (described below).

A pair of vertical side plates 28a, 28b is disposed in an upper portionof the housing 10, and a cassette holder 30 is positioned between theside plates 28a, 28b. As shown in FIG. 3, the cassette holder 30includes a plate 32 having opposite ends bent upwardly and also havinglarge openings 34, 36 defined therein, the openings 34, 36 being spacedfrom each other. The plate 32 also has a slot 38 defined in alongitudinal end thereof near the opening 34. An attachment member 40 ofa bent configuration is joined to one side of the plate 32, and two pins42a, 42b which are spaced from each other are mounted on opposite endsof the attachment member 40, the pins 42a, 42b projecting outwardly. Aroller 44 is mounted on the outer end of the pin 42a. A fixedchannel-shaped guide 48 is secured to an inner surface of the attachmentmember 40. The guide 48 has a guide groove 46 defined therein.

Another attachment member 50 is secured to the opposite side of theplate 32 remotely from the attachment member 40. The attachment member50 supports two pins 52a, 52b aligned with the pins 42a, 42b,respectively, and projecting outwardly. A roller 54 is mounted on theouter end of the pin 52a. The pins 42a, 42b engage in a curved slot 56aand a straight slot 56b, respectively, the slots 56a, 56b being definedin the side plate 28a, and the pins 52a, 52b engage in a curved slot 58aand a straight slot 58b, respectively, the slots 58a, 58b being definedin the side plate 28b.

A pin 60 projects upwardly from the upper surface of the plate 32, andanother pin 62 also projects upwardly from the upper surface of theplate 32 near the pin 60. One end of a coil spring 64 is connected tothe pin 60, and the other end of the coil spring 64 is connected to apin 68 which projects upwardly from a plate 66 beneath the plate 32through the slot 38. The plate 66 also supports another pin 70projecting upwardly through the slot 38 and spaced from the pin 68.

The plate 66 includes a downwardly bent portion to which there is fixeda movable guide 74 having a guide groove 72. The movable guide 74supports a pin 76 (FIG. 4) projecting from an upper portion of one endthereof, and a locking finger 78 is pivotally mounted on the pin 76.When a cassette is inserted between the fixed guide 48 (FIG. 3) and themovable guide 74 through the guide grooves 46, 72, an end of thecassette near the guide groove 72 turns the locking finger 78 upwardly.A distal end of the locking finger 78 thus turned extends through a hole(not shown) defined in the plate 66 and engages in a locking hole 80which is defined in the plate 32. Therefore, the movable guide 74 islocked by the locking finger 78 against movement in the longitudinaldirection thereof in FIG. 3.

An angle 82 having one end projecting upwardly is mounted on the plate66 and supports a rotatable roller 84 which can roll on the plate 32.The plate 66 has a slot 86 defined therein in the longitudinal directionthereof, i.e., perpendicularly to the slot 38. A pin 88 extends upwardlythrough the slot 86 and has an upper end engaged by one end of a coilspring 90, whose other end is connected to the pin 70.

A cassette displacement limiting member 81 is mounted on the plate 82near the pins 60, 68. The cassette displacement limiting member 81 hastwo bent portions 83a, 83b on respective bent opposite ends thereof, thebent portions 83a, 83b defining downwardly open spaces. The cassettedisplacement limiting member 81 also has two slots 85a, 85b definedtherein in the longitudinal direction thereof. Cylindrical collars 87a,87b have respective shafts extending downwardly through the slots 85a,85b, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 4, the pin 88 extends downwardly from the slot 86 andhas a lower end coupled to a plate 92 which has a downwardly bentportion. The plate 92 serves to hold a sensor actuator 94 and anunlocking pin 96. The sensor actuator 94 has a recess 95 defined in anupper longitudinal edge thereof between opposite ends thereof, with oneof the ends being engaged by one end of a coil spring 98. The other endof the coil spring 98 is connected to one end of the plate 92.

A sensor 102 in the form of a photointerrupter is mounted on the plate66. A collar 100 for engaging the cassette displacement limiting member81 projects upwardly from the slot 86.

As shown in FIG. 3, a plate 104 is positioned beneath the opening 36 andhas a slot 106 through which a pin 108 projects, the pin 108 beingidentical to the pin 88. A coil spring 110 extends between the pins 108,62. Although not shown, the pin 108 holds a plate which is the same asthe plate 92, and the plate supports a collar 111 and an unlocking pin112. The collar 111 and the unlocking pin 112 are identical to thecollar 100 and the unlocking pin 96, respectively.

A bent member 114 is fixedly mounted on the plate 66 in spaced-apartrelation to the angle 82. A roller 116 is rotatably mounted on an upperdistal end of the bent member 114.

The side plates 28a, 28b will be described below in more detail. Theside plates 28a, 28b have relatively short, inclined slots 130a, 130b(see FIGS. 2, 4, and 5) defined therein below the slots 56a, 58a. Anunlocking bar 140 extends between and through the sots 130a, 130b. Oneend of an arm 142 is pivotally supported on the unlocking bar 140, thearm 142 having a long groove 144 defined longitudinally in its oppositeend (see FIG. 5). The long groove 144 is positioned near an unlockinglink 146 which has a pin 150 displaced off center from a shaft 148thereof. The pin 150 supports on its end a roller 152 which is normallybiased toward the bar 140 by a tension spring 156, one end of whichengages a pin 154 mounted o the arm 142. The link 146 has a coaxialsprocket 158 positioned near an idler sprocket 160. A sprocket 162 isdisposed below the arm 142. An endless chain 166 is trained around asprocket 165 mounted on the rotatable drive shaft of a motor 164, thesprocket 162, the sprocket 158, and the idler sprocket 160. The sprocket162 has a shaft 168 on which there is pivotally supported a link 174with a roller 174 rotatably mounted thereon. When the motor 164 isenergized, the sprocket 165 is rotated to cause the chain 166 to rotatethe sprocket 158, the sprocket 168, and the idler sprocket 160.

As shown in FIG. 2, the roller 174 engages a flange 180a extendingoutwardly from a plate 180 for closing the lid of the cassette CS, theplate 180 being pivotally supported at one end thereof near and belowthe unlocking bar 140. Therefore, when the link 170 rotates, the lidclosing plate 180 is angularly moved by the roller 174.

A motor 181 (FIG. 3) is disposed near the side plate 28a and has arotatable drive shaft supporting a gear 182 which meshes with a gear183. The gear 183 is held in mesh with teeth 184a on a semicircular edgeof a drive fork 184. The drive fork 184 is supported on a shaft 185which extends toward the side plate 28b and supports another drive fork(not shown) on its opposite end. The drive fork 184 has two fingers187a, 187b sandwiching the pin 42a, and the other drive fork has twofingers (not shown) sandwiching the pin 52a.

The lid closing plate 180 serves to guide a film taken out of a cassetteCS when the lid closing plate 180 is in an open position. When the lidclosing plate 180 is in the open position, the distal end of the lidclosing plate 180 is directed toward a swingable guide 200. As shown inFIG. 6, the guide 200 has a plurality of teeth 200a through 200j on itsdistal end which are held in mesh with teeth 201a through 201j on thedistal end of a plate 201. The other end of the guide 200 is pivotallysupported on a shaft 202. The guide member 200 has an upturned portionextending from the other end thereof remote from the teeth 200a through200j and supporting thereon a receiver pad 205 for the lid closing plate180. The guide 200 has a lower surface engaged by a rotor 204 of adeformed pentagonal shape near the toothed end, the rotor 204 beingrotatable by a motor 207. The rotor 204 has a curved portion 204a, anangular portion 204b, and a flat portion 204c. When the rotor 204rotates, the curved portion 204a and the angular portion 204b engage thelower surface of the guide 200 smoothly and joltingly. As the curvedportion 204a and the angular portion 204b of the rotor 204 successivelyengage the guide 200, the toothed end of the guide 200 is gradually andabruptly displaced, thereby aligning a dropping film in coaction withthe plate 201. When the flat portion 204c engages the guide 200, theguide 200 descends to release the teeth 200a through 200j out of meshwith the teeth 201a through 201j, allowing the film to drop off theguide 200.

The toothed end of the guide 200 is positioned closely to the feedsystem 6. As shown in FIG. 1, the feed system 6 comprises a first groupof rollers 206a, 206b, 206c, 206d, a second group of rollers 208a, 208b,208c, a third group of rollers 210a, 210b, 210c, and endless beltstrained around the first, second, and third roller groups, respectively.A guide 212 which is directed obliquely upwardly is positioned near theroller 206d. The guide 212 has a distal end directed toward the regionwhere the rollers 210a, 206d rollingly contact each other. A roller pair214 is located near the rollers 206c, 210b, and confronts the magazineaccommodating mechanism 8. The guide 212 comprises a flat portion 212aand an inclined portion 212b. The flat portion 212a serves to guide afilm of narrower size, and the flat portion 212a and the inclinedportion 212b jointly serve to guide a film of wider size. The guide 212includes a raised portion which defines the inclined portion 212b, theraised portion serving to guide an end of a film of narrower size.

The magazine accommodating mechanism 8, which coacts with the filmfeeding and storing mechanism, is arranged to accommodate a magazine MZby utilizing a recess 250 defined in one side of the housing 10. Thehousing 10 has an opening 252 defined in the bottom of the recess 250,and a magazine holder casing 254 is obliquely disposed in the housing 10and extending inwardly from the opening 252.

The film feeding and storing mechanism will now be described below. Abent support plate 256 is mounted on an upper panel of the magazineholder casing 254 and includes a vertical portion 256a (FIG. 7) whichhas a slot 258 defined therein perpendicularly to the direction in whichthe magazine is inserted into the magazine holder casing 254. The slot258 receives a roller 260 which is joined to a belt lever 262 having twobent portions between which a vertical guide rod 261 extends. A coilspring 263 is disposed around the guide rod 261 and has one end engagedby a swingable member 265 which has an U-shaped groove 265a defined inone end thereof and receiving the guide rod 261. The swingable member265 is swingable about a pivoted end thereof remote from the groove 265aby a link mechanism 269 coupled to a motor 267. On the lever 262, thereare also mounted a pin 264 near one of the two bent portions thereof andanother pin 266 disposed below the pin 264.

A semicircular film feeder 268 is pivotally supported on the pin 266 andhas one end engaged by one end of a coil spring 270 through a pin 271,the other end of the coil spring 270 being connected to the pin 264. Thesemicircular film feeder 268 has a frictional layer 272 of syntheticrubber or the like mounted on the curved surface thereof. The filmfeeder 268 is normally urged to turn downwardly about the pin 266 underthe bias of the coil spring 270. The distal end of the semicircular filmfeeder 268, which is remote from the end engaged by the coil spring 270,is normally spaced downwardly from a bent end 262a of the lever 262 by adistance d.

The film storage device according to the present invention is basicallyconstructed as described above. Operation and advantages of the filmstorage device will hereinafter be described.

A process of accommodating cassettes CS of different longitudinal andtransverse sizes in the device 2 and automatically discharging thecassettes CS from the device 2 will first be described below. When acassette CS of a larger size is to be introduced into the device 2, thelever 14 is laterally displaced to form a space in the housing 10 whichmatches the size of the cassette CS. More specifically, the displacementof the lever 14 is transmitted to the channel-shaped displaceable member17. Since the displaceable member 17 engages the roller 116, the plate66 is displaced and so is the movable guide 74, thus obtaining a desiredspace for the insertion of the cassette CS therein. At this time, theroller 84 supported on he angle 82 rolls on the plate 32, therebyallowing the plate 66 to be easily displaced. The bent portions 83a, 83bof the cassette displacement limiting member 83 are displaced out ofengagement with the collars 100, 111, respectively. A distal end of thecassette displacement limiting member 83 laterally displaces the pin 70,which then moves in and along the slot 38 together with the pin 68.Therefore, the movable guide 74 is positioned with respect to the fixedguide 48 by the lever 14, so that the cassette CS with an exposed filmloaded therein can be brought into the guide groove 46 of the fixedguide 48 and the guide groove 72 of the movable guide 74. If thedistance between the fixed and movable guides 48, 74 is already adjustedto the cassette CS to be inserted, then it is not necessary to displacethe lever 14.

The cassette CS of a larger size is now inserted through the opening 12into the housing 10. The leading end of the cassette CS pushes theshutter 22 upwardly, and the shutter opening arm 27 is slightlydisplaced upwardly by the pin 26 mounted on the bracket 24. The cassetteCS can then be inserted into the guide groove 46 of the fixed guide 48and the guide groove 72 of the movable guide 74. At this time, thelocking finger 78 is pushed upwardly by the leading end of the cassetteCS. After the movable guide 74 has been displaced, since the plate 32does not have a hole for receiving the locking finger 78 which is thusdisplaced, the movable guide 74 is not locked with respect to thecassette CS of this size. Particularly, the movable guide 74 is notrequired to be locked because it is limited against displacement by theattachment member 50. Further insertion of the cassette CS causes theleading end thereof to press the distal end of the sensor actuator 94.The sensor actuator 94 is therefore displaced in the direction indicatedby the arrow in FIG. 4 against the tension of the coil spring 98. Afterthe recess 95 of the sensor actuator 94 has moved past the sensor 102 bybeing pushed by the cassette CS, a predetermined portion of the sensoractuator 94 blocks passage of light toward the sensor 102 whichcomprises a photointerrupter.

The sensor 102 now produces an output signal which is sent to the motor181 fixed to the side plate 28a. When the motor 181 is energized, thegear 182 (FIG. 3) coupled to the rotatable drive shaft of the motor 181is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow, causing the gear 183to turn the drive fork 184. The rotative power applied to the drive fork184 is transmitted through the shaft 185 to the drive fork (not shown)on the side of the attachment member 50. The fingers 187a, 187b of thedrive forks 184 now forcibly displace the cassette holder 30, whichincludes the attachment members 40, 50, downwardly of the slots 56a,56b. Therefore, the cassette CS gripped by the fixed and movable guides48, 74 is also displaced downwardly. At this time, the pins 42b, 52b aredisplaced only linearly in and along the slots 56b, 58b, respectively.

The cassette holder 30, which has been displaced downwardly toward thecurved ends of the slots 56a, 58a by the drive forks 184, is detected bya sensor (not shown), which produces a drive signal to energize themotor 164 (FIG. 5). The motor 164 then rotates the sprocket 165, whichcauses the chain 166 to rotate the sprockets 162, 158, 160 and also thelink 146 which is coaxially coupled tothe sprocket 158. Therefore, theeccentric pin 150 on the link 146 is rotated about the shaft 148,angularly displacing the arm 142 about the end of the unlocking bar 140and also displacing the arm 142 in a direction toward the open end ofthe long groove 144.

At this time, the roller 152 rotatably supported on the pin 150 pullsthe tension spring 156, and the arm 142 is displaced in the directionindicated by the arrow. The unlocking bar 140 supported in the slots130a, 130b is displaced in unison with the arm 142, enabling the arm 142to press the trailing end of the cassette CS thereby to hold thecassette CS securely.

The unlocking pins 96, 112 are inserted respectively in through holesCSa, CSb (FIG. 8) defined in a body of the cassette CS, pushing lockingmembers CSa', CSb' in a lid CSc of the cassette CS. Now, the cassette CSis unlocked. Since the link 170 for lifting the lid CSc of the cassetteCS, which link 170 is pivotally coupled to the shaft 168 of the sprocket162, is displaced downwardly, at this time, the lid closing plate 180held against the roller 174 is angularly moved downwardly about one endthereof. As a result, the lid CSc of the cassette CS is tilted throughthe same angle as the angle through which the lid closing plate 180 istilted, thereby opening the cassette CS. Accordingly, the film in thecassette CS drops due to gravity toward the guide 200. The downwarddisplacement of the lid closing plate 180 is limited by the receiver pad205 on the guide 200.

The film which has dropped from the lid closing plate 180 reaches theupper surface of the guide 200, and has its leading end abutting againstthe plate 201 whose teeth 201a through 201j mesh with the teeth 200athrough 200j of the guide 200. At this time, the rotor 204 supported onthe rotatable shaft of the motor 207 has a portion remotest from itscenter, i.e., the curved portion 204a, held in abutment against thelower surface of the guide 200 (FIG. 6). The motor 207 is energized torotate the rotor 204 so that the curved portion 204a and then theangular portion 204b are successively brought into contact with theguide 200. When the flat portion 204c of the rotor 204 then contacts thelower surface of the guide 200, the guide 200 reaches its lowermostposition. Now, the guide 200 and the distal end of the plate 201 areslightly spaced from each other. The rotor 204 thus imparts a vibratoryaction to the guide 200, so that the film on the guide 200 has itsleading end positioned with respect to the plate 201.

Then, the feed system 6 is actuated. The film is gripped and fed towardthe guide 212 by the belt around the first group of rollers 206a through206d and the belt around the second group of rollers 208a through 208c.Since the guide 212 has a step between the flat portion 212a and theinclined portion 212a, the film which is of a larger size is placed onthe guide 212 over the step. If the film is of a smaller size, the filmis placed on the flat portion 212b below the step.

It should be noted that the film is placed upside down on the guide 212.The film is then removed from the guide 212, gripped between the beltaround the first group of rollers 206a through 206d and the belt aroundthe third group of rollers 210a through 210c, and fed toward the rollerpair 214. At this time, a magazine MZ has already been inserted in themagazine holder casing 254, and an opening defined in a lower portion ofthe magazine MZ is large enough to receive the film.

The motor 267 is energized to lower the swingable member 265 (FIG. 7)through the link mechanism 269, whereupon the roller 260 riding in theslot 258 in the support plate 256 is displaced downwardly, so that thefilm which is fed from the feed system 6 is engaged by the curved edgeof the film feeder 268. Upon continued energization of the motor 267,the roller 260 is displaced downwardly against the resiliency of thecoil spring 263, forcing the film into abutment against the bottom panelof the magazine MZ or a stack of films already stored in the magazineMZ. Inasmuch as one end of the film feeder 268 is pulled by the coilspring 270, when the film feeder 268 abuts against the film upondownward displacement of the lever 262, the film feeder 268 isresiliently turned about the pin 266 in the direction indicated by thearrow. Therefore, reactive forces generated and applied to the filmfeeder 268 in response to forces imposed to the film by the film feeder268 displace the film feeder 268 in the direction indicated by the arrowagainst the bias of the coil spring 270. The distal end 268a of the filmfeeder 268 is thus displaced in a direction to feed the film upwardlyinto the magazine MZ. The film is now pushed into the magazine MZ by thefilm feeder 268 and the end 262a of the lever 262 (see FIG. 7).

The above process is repeated to accommodate a stack of exposed films inthe magazine MZ. After a desired number of films have been stacked inthe magazine MZ, the magazine MZ is removed from the opening 252 in alight-shielding condition.

After the film has been taken out of the cassette CS, the cassette CSitself has to be unloaded from the housing 10. The cassette CS isautomatically unloaded from the housing 10. More specifically, when thefilm is taken out of the cassette CS and fed toward the guide 200, themotor 164 is energized again. The link 170 is angularly moved to causethe roller 174 on the distal end thereof to angularly displace theflange 180a of the lid closing plate 180 upwardly, until the lid closingplate 180 pushes the lid CSc into the cassette CS. At this time, thesprockets 162, 158, 160 are also rotated by the chain 166, so that theroller 152 returns to its original position. The tension spring 156 iscontracted, and the arm 142 is displaced back to its original position.The displacement of the arm 142 allows the unlocking bar 140 to returntoward its original position within the range defined by the slots 130a,130b. Therefore, the trailing end of the cassette CS which has beensecurely held so far by the unlocking bar 142 is now released andbecomes displaceable.

The motor 181 is then reversed to cause the gears 182, 183 to angularlymove the drive forks 184 backwards. Therefore, the cassette holder 30 isdisplaced along the slots 56a, 58a and 56b, 58b through the pins 42a,52a and the pins 42, 52b, toward the opening 12. The rollers 44, 54mounted on the pins 42a, 52a push the bent portion of the shutteropening member 27 upwardly, which is angularly displaced upwardly aboutits pivoted end. The pin 26 which engages the distal end of the shutteropening member 27 now causes the bracket 24 to open the shutter 22. Thedrive forks 284 are turned to further displace the cassette holder 30toward the opening 12 along the slots 56a, 58a and 56b, 58b, whereuponthe cassette CS held by the cassette holder 30 can easily be taken outfrom outside of the housing 10.

The film storage device 2 basically operates as described above. Now, aprocess of mounting a cassette of a different size, i.e., a smallersize, in the film cassette accommodating and unloading mechanism 4 willbe described below.

The lever 14 is laterally displaced from outside of the housing 10 tomove the movable guide 74 toward the fixed guide 48 so that the spacetherebetween matches the size of the cassette CS to be inserted into thehousing 10, as indicated by the solid lines in FIG. 3. The displacementof the lever 14 also displaces the plate 66 which is integrally coupledto the movable guide 74.

The pin 68 is displaced with the pin 70 under the tension of the coilspring 64, the coil spring 90 pulls the pin 88, and the pin 108 reachesthe position shown in FIG. 3 under the tension of the coil spring 110.Since the cassette displacement limiting member 81 is also displaced,the collars 100, 111 disposed on the respective plates 66, 104 enter thebent portions 83a, 83b, respectively, of the cassette displacementlimiting member 81. The collars 100, 111 are now prevented from beingdisplaced further.

When the cassette CS of smaller size is introduced into the housing 10through the opening 12, it pushes the locking finger 78 upwardly aboutthe pin 76, and the distal end of the locking finger 78 is inserted intothe locking hole 80. The movable guide 74 and the plates 66, 104 arefixedly positioned. The unlocking pins 96, 112 on the plate 92 unlockthe lid CSc of the cassette CS, which is then opened. The subsequentoperation is the same as the operation described above with reference tothe cassette CS of larger size.

A film storage checking process with respect to the magazine MZ will bedescribed below with reference to FIG. 9.

An identification indicia group 342 (identification indicia group A)composed of two identification indicia 342a, 342b in the form oflight-reflecting silver mats is applied to the reverse side of acassette CS (CS₁ through CS₃). The film cassette mounting anddischarging mechanism 4 has a detecting means 344 (detecting means A)comprising light sensors 344a, 344b positioned in confronting relationto the identification indicia 342a, 342b, respectively, on the cassetteCS inserted in the film cassette accommodating and unloading mechanism4.

An identification indicia group 346 (identification indicia group B)composed of two identification indicia 346a, 346b in the form oflight-reflecting silver mats is applied to the reverse side of amagazine MZ (MZ₁ through MZ₃). The magazine accommodating mechanism 8has a detecting means 348 (detecting means B, first detecting means)comprising light sensors 348a, 348b positioned in confronting relationto the identification indicia 346a, 346b, respectively, on the magazineMZ inserted in the magazine accommodating mechanism 8.

A shutter 350 is mounted in the magazine MZ below its face side and hasan opening which can be opened and closed by the shutter 350. Adetecting means 354 (detecting means C, second detecting means)comprising a light sensor is disposed in facing relation to the opening352. A detecting means 356 (detecting means D, third detecting means)comprising a light sensor is disposed between the magazine accommodatingmechanism 8 and the roller pair 214 which confronts the magazineaccommodating mechanism 8.

The light sensors of the detecting means 344, 348, 354, 356 comprisephotoreflectors each composed of a light-detecting element and alight-emitting element.

Output signals S₁ through S₆ produced from the light-emitting elementsof the detecting means 344, 348, 354, 356 are applied to an A/Dconverter 362 in an input/output interface 360 of a microcomputer 358(control means) in the device 2. If the output signals S₁ through S₆have a level ("H" level) higher than a certain threshold preset in a RAM364 in the microcomputer 358, then a CPU 366 in the microcomputer 358determines that there are identification indicia 342a, 342b, 346a, 346band a film F. If the output signals S₁, S₂ of the detecting means 344are of an "L" level, then the CPU 366 determines that there is nocassette CS. If the output signals S₃, S₄ of the detecting means 348 areof an "L" level, then the CPU 366 determines that there is no magazineMZ. The output signals S₁ through S₆ becomes a "H" level when theintensity of reflected light detected by the light-detecting elements ofthe light sensors 344a, 344b, 348a, 348b and the light detecting means354, 356 is higher.

Depending on the identification indicia 342a, 342b, 346a, 346b and thefilm F, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) 372 on the housing 10 which iselectrically connected through an LCD driver 370 to the interface 360displays predetermined determined indications according to a programstored in a ROM 368 in the microcomputer 358.

FIGS. 10a through 10d show display tables 374a, 374b, 374c, 374d storedin the RAM 364. The display tables 374a, 374b shown in FIGS. 10a and 10brepresent the relationship between the levels of output signals from thelight sensors 344a, 344b, 348a, 348b and the types of cassettes CS(CS=CS₁, CS₂, CS₃) and magazines MZ (MZ=MZ₁, MZ₂, MZ₃). The displaytable 374c shown in FIG. 10c indicates pairs of cassettes CS andmagazines MZ which match each other, i.e., can hold films of the samesize. The display table 374d shown in FIG. 10d represents the numbers X(X₁, X₂, X₃) of films that are stored and the maximum numbers Y (Y₁, Y₂,Y₃) of films that can be stored in the magazines MZ₁, MZ₂, MZ₃.

FIG. 11 shows a table 375 stored in the RAM 364 for determining whetherthere is a film F or not. The table 375 is used to control the table374d such that when the output signal S₆ from the detecting means 356goes high once (more accurately, when the output signal S₆ is shiftedfrom an "L" level to a "H" level and then to an "L" level), the number Xin the display table 374d is incremented by 1. The table 375 is alsoused to determine whether there is a film For not in combination withthe output signal S₅ from the detecting means 354.

The ROM 368 stores a control program for a film number control orchecking process described below.

The film storage control or checking mechanism in the film storagedevice according to the present invention is basically constructed asdescribed above. Operation of the film storage control or checkingmechanism will be described below.

FIG. 12 shows a control program stored in the ROM 368 for controllingthe CPU 366 to execute a film number control or checking process 400.The film number control or checking process 400 will now be describedaccording to the program, which is repeatedly executed per unit periodof time.

The operator (not shown) of the film storage device 2 switches on thepower supply of the film storage device 2, and then sees the LCD 372 toconfirm that no magazine MZ is inserted in the film storage device 2.Then, the operator inserts a magazine MZ with the shutter 350 closedinto the magazine mounting mechanism 8 through the opening 252.

Then, the output signals S₃, S₄ from the light sensors 348a, 348b areread by the CPU 366 through the input/output interface 360 and the A/Dconverter 362 in a step 1.

Based on the levels of the output signals S₃, S₄, it is determines in astep 2 whether a magazine MZ is inserted or not with reference to thedisplay table 374b (FIG. 10b) in the RAM 364. If the output signals S₃,S₄ have "L" levels, respectively, then since no magazine is insertedyet, the LCD 372 displays that no magazine MZ is inserted in a step 3.Then, the insertion of a magazine MZ is awaited.

If any one of the output signals S₃, S₄ from the light sensors 348a,348b goes high, it is determined that a magazine MZ is inserted in thestep 2. It is assumed that the inserted magazine MZ is a magazine MZ₃ inthis embodiment.

Therefore, both the output levels S₃, S₄ have a "H" level, indicatingthat the type of the inserted magazine is MZ₃ in a step 4. The CPU 366controls the LCD driver 370 through the input/output interface 360 tochange the display on the LCD 372 from the message that no magazine MZis inserted to the message that the magazine MZ₃ is inserted, and theCPU 366 also stores the information that the magazine MZ placed in thefilm storage device 2 is the magazine MZ₃ at a given address in the RAM364, in a step 5.

After the type of the inserted magazine M is identified, the shutter 350is opened in the direction indicated by the arrow A by a shutteropening/closing mechanism in the magazine accommodating mechanism 8 in astep 6.

Then, the operator brings a cassette CS₃, which accommodates a film F,already exposed to X-ray radiation, and which matches the magazine MZ₃displayed on the LCD 372, toward the opening 20 in the film storagedevice 2, opens the shutter 22, and mounts the cassette CS₃ in the filmcassette mounting and discharging mechanism 4 in the film storage device2. Before the cassette CS₃ is accommodated, the operator confirms thatno cassette CS has already been mounted on the basis of the display onthe LCD 372.

Then, the output signals S₁, S₂ of the light sensors 344a, 344b are readby the microcomputer 358 in a step 7, which is followed by a step 8 thatdetermines whether there is a cassette CS or not by referring to thedisplay table 374a (FIG. 10a) stored in the RAM 364. If the outputsignals S₁, S₂ are still of an "L" level, then the LCD 372 displays thatthere is no cassette CS in a step 9, and the insertion of a cassette CSis awaited. In this embodiment, the mounted cassette CS is a cassetteCS₃ as described above. Therefore, the levels of the output signals S₁,S₂ go high, indicating that the mounted cassette CS is a cassette CS₃ ina step 10. The display on the LCD 372 is changed from the message thatno cassette CS is mounted to the message that the cassette CS₃ ismounted in a step 11. At the same time, the information that thecassette CS mounted in the film storage device 2 is a cassette CS₃ isstored at a given address in the RAM 364.

Then, a step 12 determines whether or not the types of the cassette CSmounted in the film storage device 2 matches the type of the magazine MZmounted in the film storage device 2, based on the display table 374c(FIG. 10c) and the information about the magazine MZ and the cassetteCS, which is stored at the given address in the RAM 364. If the types ofthe magazine MZ and the cassette CS do not match each other, then theunmatching of the magazine MZ and the cassette CS is displayed on theLCD 372 in a step 13. In this case, the lid of the cassette CS₃ iscontrolled not to be opened, and the confirmation of the operator isawaited.

Since the cassette CS₃ and the magazine MZ₃ are mounted in the filmstorage device 2 at this time, control goes from the step 12 to a a step14.

In the step 14, the output signal S₅ from the detecting means 354positioned at the opening 352 in the magazine MZ₃ is read by themicrocomputer 358. Then, a step 15 determines whether there is a film Fin the magazine MZ₃ or not by referring to the table 375 (FIG. 11) andthe level of the output signal S₅. The output signal S₅ is of a "H"level when there is a film F in the magazine MZ₃.

If no film F is present in the magazine MZ₃, then the number X₃ ofstored films in the display table 374d stored in the RAM 364 is reducedto 0, and displayed on the LCD 372 in a step 16.

If there is a film F in the magazine MZ₃, then the number X₃ of storedfilms in the display table 374d is read and displayed on the LCD 372 ina step 17. Thereafter, a step 18 determines whether the number X₃ ofstored films is less than the maximum number Y₃ of films that can bestored in the magazine MZ₃ or not. If the number X₃ of stored films isequal to the number Y₃ of storable films, then that information isdisplayed on the LCD 372 in a step 19, indicating to the operator thatthe magazine MZ₃ should be replaced, or replacement of the magazine MZ₃is awaited.

If the number X₃ of stored films is less than the number Y₃ of storablefilms, then the unlocking pins 96, 112 (see FIG. 4) of the cassetteopening and closing mechanism open the lid CSc of the cassette CS₃ in astep 20.

The film F now drops from the cassette CS₃ as indicated by thedot-and-dash line in FIG. 9, is guided by the guide 200 to enter betweenthe rollers 206a, 208a, and is discharged from the rollers 206a, 208aonto the guide 212, on which the film F is placed upside down orreversed. Then, the film F is introduced between the rollers 206d, 210a,and fed by the rollers 210b, 106c and the roller pair 214 into themagazine MZ₃ in a step 21.

When the film F passes between the roller pair 214 and the opening 352in the magazine MZ₃, the output signal S₆ of the detecting means 356goes high in level, and is applied to the microcomputer 358. When thepassage of the film F is confirmed according to the table 375, thenumber X₃ of films stored in the magazine MZ₃ is incremented by 1 (_(X3)+1) in a step 22. When the film F is stored in the magazine MZ₃, thecassette opening and closing mechanism is operated to close the lid CScof the cassette CS₃, which is then discharged out of the film storagedevice 2 by the film cassette mounting and discharging mechanism 4.Another cassette CS₃ with an exposed film F placed therein is thenmounted in the film storage device 2 by the operator.

After all desired films F are stored in the magazine MZ₃, the shutter350 of the magazine MZ₃ is closed. The magazine MZ₃ is then removed fromthe film storage device 2, and placed into an automatic developingmachine (not shown), in which the images on the exposed films F aredeveloped for diagnostic use, for example.

In this embodiment, the LCD 372 displays the information as to whetherthere is a cassette CS in the film storage device 2, the type of acassette CS in the film storage device 2, the information as to whetherthere is a magazine MZ in the film storage device 2, the type of amagazine MZ in the film storage device 2, and the number of films Fstored in the magazine MZ.

Therefore, by confirming the displayed information, the operator canreliably mount a cassette CS which matches a magazine MZ mounted in thefilm storage device 2, avoiding a mismatch between the types of amounted cassette CS and a mounted magazine MZ. Since the number of filmsstored in the magazine MZ can be confirmed, no excessive films will beplaced into the magazine, and hence films will not be jammed in themagazine.

With the present invention, as described above, a film is fed by thefeed system and forcibly placed into the magazine which is open in itslower portion and is slightly inclined. The film feeder comprises arotatable semicircular member which is pressed against the film and isturned to apply a force to the film in the direction in which to feedthe film into the magazine.

Therefore, the film can reliably be delivered into the magazine, andpressed in the magazine. When the magazine is taken out of the filmstorage device and loaded in the automatic developing machine, the filmsin the magazine have already been aligned at their leading ends. Thus,no process is required to align the films as in the conventional system.

The film storage device according to the present invention is simple inconstruction and small in size. Inasmuch as the film storage deviceoperates mechanically, it is relatively free of failures and hence isreliable in operation.

The film storage device can identify a plurality of types of cassettesand a plurality of corresponding types of magazines, and can also storethe number of films accommodated in magazines.

The display unit on the film storage device can display the types of acassette and a magazine placed in the film storage device and the numberof films accommodated in the magazine. The operator can avoid anerroneous operation by referring to the displayed information.

In the above embodiment, the types of cassettes depending on the sizesof films stored therein and the types of corresponding magazines areautomatically checked. However, the present invention is not limited tothe illustrated control or checking process, but may be modified invarious ways. For example, the types of cassettes depending on kinds(sensitivity or the like) of films stored therein and the types ofcorresponding magazines may also automatically checked according to thepresent invention.

Although a certain preferred embodiment has been shown and described, itshould be understood that many changes and modifications may be madetherein without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A film storage device for storing films fed by afeed system in a magazine, the feed system comprising:pressing means,displaced in an inclined position with respect to a direction in which afilm is fed into the magazine, for pressing the film into the magazine,wherein said magazine is displaced in a perpendicular position withrespect to said pressing means; feeding means coupled to said pressingmeans and in response to displacement of said pressing means, beingmovable in an inclined position with respect to the direction in which afilm is fed into the magazine for forcibly delivering the film into themagazine along said direction, said feeding means being directed withrespect to the pressing means to project toward said magazine, and beingangularly movable in an inclined position along said direction todeliver the film into the magazine after having engaged the film; anddrive means for moving said pressing means and said feeding means intosaid magazine.
 2. A film storage device according to claim 1, whereinsaid feeding means has a curved surface pivotally supported on saidpressing means and movable in an inclined position with respect to saiddirection, said curved surface being normally directed with respect tothe pressing means.
 3. A film storage device according to claim 2,wherein said feeding means comprises a semicircular member pivotallysupported at an eccentric position thereof on said pressing means.
 4. Afilm storage device according to claim 3, wherein said drive meanscomprises a motor energized to lower a swingable member through a linkmechanism so that the film is fed by the semicircular edge of saidfeeding means when said pressing means and said feeding means are movedinto the magazine.